With a crucial set of games coming before the All-Star break, the New York Knicks are right in the thick of things. For the first time in what seems like a decade, the Knicks are actually in playoff conversations around the league. With a tough schedule in the second half of the season, will the Knicks reach the playoffs for the first time since 2013? On top of that, what moves if any should be made right now?
Midseason Thoughts
New York at 15-17 as of Thursday afternoon is currently the 10th ranked team in the East. However, every team from the 4-10 seeds only have a maximum of 16 wins. So, the Knicks can make up a lot of room in a little bit of time if the team continues to progress. As a team, I love the brand of basketball that Thibs has brought back to New York. Tenacious defense, alley oops and overall team chemistry is what has ignited this young lineup so far this season.
Speaking of young lineups, the Knicks have also seen a lot of help from their rookies in spurts. Obi Toppin seems like he is starting to get the hang of it and Immanuel Quickley has shown signs of being a possible ROTY candidate. With more time, Toppin will start putting up better numbers than 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists a game. The same goes for Quickley too (12pts, 3rbs, 3ast), with more time and experience he could be a really dangerous player.
Randle Named an All-Star
For the first time in 3 years, the Knicks can finally say that they have an All-Star on their team. Julius Randle has been playing his best season to date as an NBA player. At 23 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists a game, Randle is clearly the Knicks number one player. Is this something that should continue in the future? Should the Knicks set up to make Julius “The Guy”? Although I love how he plays in this offense, I do not think it would be best fit to build our team around #30.
Don’t get me wrong, I bet there is still some more improvement to come from Julius’ game. With that said, where he is at right now will not get us further than maybe the second round. In the NBA, you need multiple stars to win championships. Now that we have one, it will be that much easier to go and get another in free agency. When a team has $70+ million in available cap space and a great culture, stars will gravitate in your direction.
Trade Talk
My fellow Knick fans, the team in a very strange spot when it comes to potential trades. A lot of fans will see the season the Knicks are having and think “What star can we trade for?” and at one point I thought the same. After doing some deeper looking, a trade for a star is not what the Knicks need at this time. What needs to happen is for everybody to just let this season play out. The way that they have looked in the 1st half of the season does not show any signs of major losing streaks. If that is the case, then why not let these guys play? Why trade the pieces that put you into this position on essentially a gamble?
Final Thoughts and Season Prediction
Although you just read through a bunch of great things about the Knicks, there is one thing that needs serious improvement in the 2nd half of the season. That problem that could hold the Knicks back is the offense. Right now the Knicks are score the least amount of points per game and have the 25th ranked FG% in the entire NBA. If the Knicks want to go anywhere in the future, the shooting needs to improve. Come playoffs, the Knicks will end up playing a team with a high powered offense like the Nets. If they cannot find consistency on offense, the defense may begin to falter at that point.
For New York this season, I could see the Knicks realistically finishing in the 7 seed where they will most likely play either the 76ers or Nets. The season would most likely end right there. If somehow they could find a way to the 6 seed or even the 5 seed, a matchup with the Bucks or Pacers would leave me very optimistic. With a defense like the Knicks have right now (3rd Ranked in the NBA), a team with an inconsistent offense could really struggle and potentially blow a series. Let’s be real though, just to be able to talk about the Knicks again with serious playoff hopes makes the NBA better and myself a happy man.
#Knickstape